Monday Morning Essay Tip: Famous Quotations
December 21st, 2009
Many essay writers like to begin essays with famous and/or eloquent quotations. For instance, an applicant might begin an essay simply by putting a quotation atop the first line of the first page:
“The best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good men to do what he wants done, and self-restraint to keep from meddling with them while they do it.”
– Theodore Roosevelt
Roosevelt’s words are as true today as when he spoke them. The essence of a manager is…
Others might embed such a quotation in the first line of their essay. Such an essay might begin in this way:
As Peter F. Drucker said, “Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.” I have found the distinction between management and leadership especially important…
There is really only one rule when it comes to lofty quotations: don’t overdo it! One grand quotation per application (not per essay!) is plenty. Beyond that, simply ask yourself the same questions you would ask yourself for all the other features of your essays: Does this quotation fit with my essay’s thesis sentence? Does this quotation reflect who I am? Does this quotation add to the essay? If the answers to these questions are “yes,” then using a famous, eloquent quotation might be a good tool for one of your essays.
Posted in Blogroll, Monday Morning Essay Tips